Back in action for January

Ooops…!That’s better!

A little damage…

January in the UK is noted for the variability of its weather, and we
have certainly had our share of strong winds onsite. The latest storm
not only lifted some of the corrugated roofing on the engine shed and
brought down quite a few straggly buddleia trees, but also managed to
overturn the summerhouse too! This remained largely intact (just a
single pane of glass broken) and ended up resting on the retaining fence
(which needed a couple of lateral bars replacing). With a bit of
teamwork, we managed to restore the building to the upright position and
have also developed a plan as to how we can anchor it firmly to the
ground to avoid the same thing happening again.

Improving drainage

Elsewhere onsite it became apparent that drainage is a problem, so
John Barber and his team identified where a drainage channel required to
be created under what will become the trackbed of the remaining section
of the Blyth Valley Light Railway. While it might appear to be tricky
sloshing through such muddy conditions, it is only possible to see
exactly where the drain needs to go when there are puddles in evidence.
The site slopes gently downwards towards the river, so we are just
ensuring that the excess water will not accumulate under the trackbed.
The extra trackwork is about to be ordered from the suppliers and the
remaining section of trackbed sub-base will be completed once the
drainage pipes have been installed.

Ready for concrete

The compressor

In the relative warmth of the engine shed Ted, Bob and the team have
continued working inside the smokebox – ultimately succeeding in the
safe removal of the blast pipes. Follow this link to SCALDWELL’s Facebook page
for pictures. We have also taken delivery of a 3-Phase Air Compressor,
which will prove invaluable in due course in providing power for some of
our tools. Currently the compressor is stored on Wagon 41, which also
has the benefit of making it easier to move. Also within the shed, work
continues on the preparation for the concrete floor of the workshop
area. We hope to start the concreting within the next two weeks, with
all the building materials already delivered.

As if all this activity were not enough, Neal & Nigel Davis
delivered the new BVLR loco (as yet unnamed) after its recent successful
trials at Ashmanhaugh. It’s quite a beast and now awaits better, warmer
weather so that it can be suitably painted and lined. Recent recruit
Keith – a professional painter & decorator) cannot wait to get his
hands on it! With plenty of legroom within the cab for the driver (and a
hinged roof giving plenty of headroom access too) Neal has decided to
construct a similar loco for himself too.